FORT WORTH, Texas – Auburn sophomore Brandon Mancheno has been named to the Ben Hogan Award Watch List, announced Wednesday by the Hogan Trophy Award Foundation, the Friends of Golf (FOG) and the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA).
The Ben Hogan Award is given annually to the top men's NCAA Division I, II or III, NAIA or NJCAA college golfer taking into account all collegiate and amateur competitions during a 12-month period from June to May.
Mancheno is one of 28 golfers across all divisions to earn recognition, including one of just six in the Southeastern Conference.
The Jacksonville, Fla. native is averaging 70.25 strokes per round and has paced the Tigers in three of six tournaments thus far into the 2018-19 season.
Mancheno, a 2018 semifinalist for the Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year, has carded 10 rounds below par, including nine rounds in the 60s this year.
Mancheno was named the 2018 SEC Freshman of the Year, PING Second Team All-American and tied for the medalist honors at the NCAA Championship a season ago.
This year's list of 10 semifinalists, which could include individuals not on the watch list, will be unveiled on Wednesday, April 17. On Thursday, May 2, that group will be pared down to three finalists. The finalists will attend a black-tie dinner at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, on Monday, May 20, prior to the start of the PGA TOUR's Charles Schwab Challenge, where the winner will be crowned.
The Ben Hogan Award Selection Committee votes during each stage of the process. It is comprised of leaders in collegiate, amateur and professional golf. The Ben Hogan Trophy was first issued in 1990 and also included academic achievement in its original list of standards. In 2002, the Ben Hogan Award moved to Fort Worth, Texas, and revised its criteria to its current standard of honoring the outstanding amateur collegiate golfer.
Ben Hogan Award winners have combined to accumulate 41 PGA TOUR victories and more than $200 million in prize money. Six winners are currently ranked in the top 100 in the Official World Golf Rankings—Jon Rahm, Rickie Fowler, Patrick Cantlay, Kyle Stanley, Ryan Moore and Peter Uihlein. Other recipients include: Ricky Barnes, Matt Every, Doug Ghim, Bill Haas, Chris Kirk, Hunter Mahan, Maverick McNealy, Patrick Rodgers, Nick Taylor, D.J. Trahan and Chris Williams.
To find the latest information on the Ben Hogan Award visit www.TheBenHoganAward.org.
Watch List Candidates
Zach Bauchou, Oklahoma State, Sr., Forest, Va.
Callum Bruce, Midland College, So., Banff, Scotland
Quade Cummins, Oklahoma, Jr., Weatherford, Okla.
Chandler Eaton, Duke, Jr., Alpharetta, Ga.
Steven Fisk, Georgia Southern, Sr., Stockbridge, Ga.
Stephen Franken, NC State, Sr., Raleigh, N.C.
Luis Gagne, LSU, Sr., Orlando, Fla.
Will Gordon, Vanderbilt, Sr., Davidson, N.C.
Will Grimmer, Ohio State, Sr., Cincinnati, Ohio
Cole Hammer, Texas, Fr., Houston, Texas
Viktor Hovland, Oklahoma State, Jr., Oslo, Norway
Philip Knowles, North Florida, Sr., Bradenton, Fla.
Peter Kuest, BYU, Jr., Fresno, Calif.
Brandon Mancheno, Auburn, So., Jacksonville, Fla.
Collin Morikawa, California, Sr., La Canada Flintridge, Calif.
Bryson Nimmer, Clemson, Sr., Bluffton, S.C.
Chandler Phillips, Texas A&M, Sr., Huntsville, Texas
Trent Phillips, Georgia, Fr., Inman, S.C.
Peng Pichaikool, Mississippi State, Jr., Bangkok, Thailand
Isaiah Salinda, Stanford, Sr., South San Francisco, Calif.
Matthias Schmid, Louisville, So., Maxhvette, Germany
Luke Schniederjans, Georgia Tech, Jr., Powder Springs, Ga.
Alex Smalley, Duke, Sr., Wake Forest, N.C.
Tyler Strafaci, Georgia Tech, Jr., Davie, Fla.
Justin Suh, Southern California, Sr., San Jose, Calif.
Matthew Wolff, Oklahoma State, So., Agoura Hills, Calif.
Brandon Wu, Stanford, Sr., New York, N.Y.
Chun An Yu, Arizona State, Jr., Taoyuan, Taiwan